The Golden State Warriors (73-9) will be at home when they play the Houston Rockets (41-41) in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarlerfinals. Action gets underway at 3:30 pm ET on Saturday, Apr. 16 and will air on ABC.
The Warriors enter this game hoping for similar success after dismantling the Grizzlies 125-104 on Wednesday. Stephen Curry led all scorers on the team with 46 points on 15-for-24 shooting. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 116-81 win against the Kings on Wednesday. James Harden was the game’s top scorer, accumulating 38 points on 13-for-27 shooting.
The Warriors enter the game with records of 73-9 Straight Up (SU) and 43-36-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 73-9 SU and 43-36-3 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Warriors have no trouble scoring as they lead the league in offense with 114.9 points per game. Golden State is excellent from the perimeter with a league-high 1,077 three-pointers made (13.0 per game). The Warriors have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the fourth-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 46.2 per game, while the Rockets rank 20th in the league with 43.1 per game. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Golden State, which ranks second at 1.95. Turning to the defensive side, the Warriors prevent teams from making three-pointers on the defensive end, ranking second in the league with a .332 opponent field-goal percentage from three-point range.
Over on the other bench, the Rockets head into the game with records of 36-45-1 ATS and 41-41 SU. Houston has records of 41-41 SU and 36-45-1 ATS against the West. Offensively, they average 106.5 points per game, which is good for fourth in the league. Shifting to the other side of the court, the Rockets are a terror in the passing lanes, averaging an NBA-best 10.0 steals per game. Houston is the second-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 18.9 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Golden State beat Houston, bumping its SU record to 9-1 over the Rockets in their last 10 meetings. With a 6-4 record, the Warriors also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
“Golden State is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Golden State is 18-3 SU in its last 21 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Golden State’s last 6 games “.
“Golden State is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Golden State’s last 5 games at home”.
“Golden State is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games when playing Houston”.
“Golden State is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games when playing Houston”.
“Golden State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Golden State’s last 7 games when playing at home against Houston”.
Houston ranks fourth in points per game with 106.5, while Golden State ranks 19th in points allowed with an average of 104.1 given up.
Houston puts up an average of 106.8 points per away game (ranked third). Golden State ranks 16th in points allowed per home game with 101.9.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Golden State Warriors are a superb 27-1. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Houston Rockets have a subpar record of 2-17.
The Warriors have a 46-8 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Rockets have also performed well when they reach the century mark with a record of 39-24 in such games.
The Warriors have the league’s top offensive rating (112.8). The Rockets have a defensive rating of 106.5 (ranked 16th).
The Golden State Warriors average 101.8 possessions and 1.128 points per possession in games this season. The Houston Rockets average fewer possessions with 100.3, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.062.
The Houston Rockets have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with an EFF% of 51.6%. The Golden State Warriors have a solid 14-6 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher EFF%.
On average, the Golden State Warriors attempt 31.0 three point field goals per game and the Houston Rockets attempt 30.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Golden State has an exceptional 67-8 record, while Houston is 35-34.
With 6.1 blocks per game, the Golden State Warriors rank second in the league. The Houston Rockets are in the top half of NBA teams for blocking, ranking 13th with 5.2 blocks per game.
Golden State is ranked 21st in offensive rebounding. Houston ranks 27th in defensive rebounds.
Making 10.0 steals per game, Houston is ranked first in the NBA. Golden State has a stellar 26-5 record when it allows at least 10 steals.
